PM seeks fresh report on riots

Gujral discussed the issue at length with Maharashtra Chief Minister Manohar Joshi when they met last evening and advised him to take stringent action against the culprits who indulged in attacks on political leaders in the State, the spokesman said.

Gujral today also ordered a Committee of Ministers to review the status of Terrorist and Destructive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) cases in all the states and report back to him.

Home Minister Indrajit Gupta had gone on a two-day visit to Mumbai earlier this week to make an on-the-spot assessment of the situation following desecration of a statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Twelve people were killed in police firing in Mumbai.

Gupta had later described the law and order situation in Mumbai as “messy and complicated”.

Meanwhile, leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council Chhagan Bhujbal today alleged that Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray was himself behind a well-planned conspiracy which culminated in the attack on his house in Mumbai, PTI reports from Nagpur.

He said the fact that several Shiv Sena corporators and legislators and an MP were among the 3000-strong crowd that attacked his house at 0900 hrs on Sunday last and the way the attackers were inside the house for 25 minutes destroying furniture and breaking doors even though several senior police officers and 50 to 60 constables were present, clearly pointed to Thackeray’s hand behind it.

“Such an operation cannot be carried out without his consent and orders,” Bhujbal, who had left the Shiv Sena to join Congress, told reporters here.

Speaking after a visit to the riot-affected areas of the city and Karanja-Ghadga town in Wardha district, he said in many places the police had gone deep into Dalit localities and fired on the people.

tat¬Ut›p<¼Tt›htened its export control procedures after the enforcement of the Wassenaar Arrangement on dual-use technologies. Unlike its predecessor regime COCOM, the new arrangement also targets conventional technology, making even routine procurement difficult.

However, Indian officials say that the US zeal in cracking down on the so-called violations seems selective. China for instance appears to get away with the most brazen transgressions including diverting powerful supercomputers to military use.

The new wrinkles between Washington and New Delhi appear to stem mainly from the Commerce Department which administers export controls. India has also been hauled to the WTO by the US Trade Representative over its import restrictions.